Auditing
We welcome a limited number of qualified individuals to enroll in classes as auditors. Auditing can be a great opportunity for pastors to participate in continuing education or for lay leaders to gain deeper insights for their personal spiritual formation. An Audit Application must be completed with the Admissions Office prior to registration. See below for information on the application process.
Auditors are registered for courses at the discretion of the professor and on a a first-come, first-served basis while space permits. Students seeking to enroll for credit in a course will be given priority over auditors when a class has reached its maximum enrollment. Auditors normally would enroll for no more than two courses per term. No more than 25% of the courses required for a degree may be taken while enrolled as an auditor.
Students who audit a course and then wish to receive credit at a later date must register and take the course again. Students taking courses for credit are also allowed to audit courses. If a student registers for a course as an auditor (and that student has also met the requirements to be a for-credit student), the student may, prior to the end of the first week of the term, switch to taking the course for credit.
Audit Fees
The Standard Audit Rate is $75 per audit hour
Example: A 3-credit course will cost $225 for the semester.
Pacific Seminary and Bethel Seminary San Diego Alumni, Pastors (and their spouses), Full-time Employees of Christian Ministry Agencies (and their spouses), Senior Citizens (60+) receive a discounted audit rate of $37.50 per audit hour.
Current master's degree students and their spouses may audit for free (as long as the student is taking an equal or greater number of courses for credit). Current students do not need to complete an application to audit.
Applying to Audit
We welcome applications from prospective auditors year round. Once your application is complete the Office of Admissions will work with you to help you register to audit your first course. If you choose to audit additional courses during future terms a new application is not required.
In addition to general information about yourself, the Audit Application requires a completed reference from a pastor or ministry leader. You will submit the name and email address for your reference as part of the application process. Generally, a bachelor’s degree is required to audit. See below for exceptions for non-bachelor’s degree holders. You may also be asked to submit proof of your previous academic achievement.
Non-Bachelors Applicants
In addition to the other admission requirements stated previously in this section, students who have not obtained a bachelor’s degree may be allowed to enroll as an auditor. Such students must also meet the following requirements:
Be 25 years of age or older,
Have earned an Associate degree or at least 60 undergraduate credits,
And, have scored 150 or higher on the Verbal Reasoning portion of the GRE, or have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 in previous college course work.